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Crested Cranes take on Senegal in Nations Cup opener today

Cranes in high spirits after testing the ground they will play on today. PHOTOS FUFA MEDIA

🔵 Uganda’s Group Fixtures
✳ July 3 – Uganda vs Senegal 6pm

✳ July 5 – Uganda Vs Morocco
✳ July 8 – Burkina Faso Vs Uganda

Uganda’s National senior women’s Football team, the Crested Cranes is in high spirits as they prepare for their opening match against Senegal in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations- WAFCON campaign in Morocco.

The team will be returning to the continental showpiece for the first time in two decades having last participated in the tournament back in 2000, breaking a jinx of 20 years of unsuccessful qualifying attempts. But still, Uganda never advanced from the group stage.

As they return to the continent’s biggest women’s football championship, the girls will have to overcome some of Africa’s heavyweights in group A including hosts Morocco, Burkina Faso, and Senegal.

Uganda’s side enters the game after emerging champions of the region in the recently concluded CECAFA Senior Women’s Championship where they defeated Burundi to lift the trophy.

The team departed last month and they since had a build-up tie against Zambia.

Coach George William Lutalo says the team has not registered any injuries and wants Ugandans to rally behind the girls.

Team assistant captain, Hasifa Nassuna, also says her teammates are ready to take to the field and rub shoulders with their opponents after finalizing their preparations. She adds that their goal is to qualify for the next round.

Crested Cranes qualified for the Africa Women Cup of Nations after their opponents Kenya withdrew from the qualifiers. Consequently, CAF awarded Uganda an automatic qualification.

Uganda will have to finish in the top two in their group if they are to progress to the next round in their bid to compete for the continent’s grandest prize.

The tournament will also act as the qualifier for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with the top four teams qualifying for the event while two teams will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.

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